Flipping and spinning on a studio floor, 17-year-old Royal is a star in China’s breakdancing scene and aiming for gold at the World Championships in Japan this week.
Royal, real name Guo Pu, shot to fame when she won both the youth and adult Asian Championships in June.
She is part of a growing Chinese force in breakdancing, which combines acrobatic floor moves, footwork and rhythmic expression to hip-hop or funk and was included as an Olympic sport for the first time at Paris 2024.
“At first my grandmother would not let me dance breaking because back then, breaking’s reputation truly was not very good,” Royal told AFP at the studio where she trains in her hometown of Pingyi, in the eastern province of Shandong.
“But after I achieved some results, she stopped saying anything,” she smiled.
Having already won the youth world title in August, Royal will compete alongside other “B-girls” and “B-boys” at the adult World Championships taking place Friday and Saturday in Fukuoka, Japan, the country which has long dominated the sport.
“I want to win that gold medal for China and show the world that Chinese breaking is getting cooler and cooler,” she said.
– ‘Born for breaking’ –
As a youngster, “my mother signed me up for all kinds of extracurricular classes, such as playing instruments, then Chinese dance”, Royal said.
“I also participated in a local children’s artistic show for the Chinese New Year. That’s when coach Mike saw me.”
Mike, whose real name is Li Shilong, told AFP “she immediately impressed me”.
“During her performance I saw a light in her eyes… It was a kind of light that shows a real passion, a real drive for dance and for art.
“I felt that this girl might have been born for breaking.”
Royal has now put school on hold to dedicate her time entirely to dancing.
Like other top athletes in China, she will benefit from easier access to university thanks to her sporting achievements.
Royal describes herself as “not very talkative” and still “pretty nervous before competitions”, but says she is able to “open up” on stage.
In addition to her Asian and world titles, Royal won gold at this year’s World Games — a top competition for non-Olympic sports.
She has developed a healthy rivalry with fellow Chinese breakdancer Liu Qingyi, known as “671”, who won bronze at the Paris Games.
The country’s next generation of breakdancers looks promising, with China winning five out of six medals at the youth World Championships in August.
– Inspiring creativity –
“In four years, China has gone from being unknown in the world of breakdancing to ranking among the world’s top three and is now seen as the future of breaking,” Mounir Biba, a 13-time world champion and head coach of the Chinese team, told AFP.
“There is talent, there is a lot of potential. There are a lot of young dancers in China,” he said, adding that financial support from the government was helping the sport grow.
Having breakdancing in the Olympics has encouraged the surge of interest in China, according to coach Mike.
“Once a discipline is officially recognised as a sport in China it’s developed very intensively,” he said.
Authorities see an opportunity to win international honours while parents, reassured by breakdancing’s new respectability, are more willing to let their children practise it.
The Chinese DanceSport Federation now organises numerous competitions, Mike said, while funds are allocated to training facilities.
The only downside, according to the coach, is that some Chinese dancers do not necessarily fully understand the culture of breakdancing, which originated in New York in the 1970s.
“The (skill) difficulty level in China is exceptionally high. However, the understanding of dance and the depth of exploration into dance artistry remains insufficient,” he told AFP.
“This is an area where we need to learn from Western nations,” Mike said.
“Breakdancing, and other street dance styles… their essence is innovation. I believe that by understanding the core of this culture, Chinese children will become more creative.”
Royal is keen to push the sport’s creativity.
“I really want to inspire the next generation of B-girls,” she said.
“By passing on the history and the culture of breaking, and developing a style of breaking that’s unique to girls.”
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